Shark Attack!

A new report from the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida says shark attacks are most likely to occur on Sunday in less than 6 feet of water during a new moon. And there’s good reason: That’s when a lot of surfers are in the water. They also found that surfers wearing black-and-white suits are most likely to be attacked. Saturdays come in second place, followed by Fridays. Researchers looked at statistics from shark attacks that occurred in Florida’s Volusia County, dubbed the “Shark Attack Capital of the World,” between 1956 and 2008. There were 231 shark attacks between 1956 and 2008.

Smoking Tot

Ardi Rizal is just a 2-year-old kid, but he’s already smoking his way into the record books by puffing at least 40 cigarettes a day. The Indonesia toddler was first given a cigarette when he was 18 months old. “I’m not worried about his health, he looks healthy,” said the boy’s father, Mohammad Rizal. “He cries and throws tantrums when we don’t let him smoke. He’s addicted.”

Baby Born In Van, Dad Gets Ticket

A New York man who forgot to feed the parking meter after his daughter was born in the backseat of his van says he plans to fight the $35 ticket. Orlando Caceres said his wife, Johanna Melo, went into labor Tuesday morning in the family van while the parents were on their way to drop their two sons, two nephews and a niece off at school. The couple’s 11-month-old son and Caceres’ sister were also in the van. Caceres said the baby was born in the backseat with the help of his sister. The parents arrived at the hospital and Caceres parked the car after paramedics helped Johanna and newborn Miah into the hospital. He said he forgot to feed the parking meter, resulting in a $35 parking ticket. Caceres said he plans to fight the ticket and may bring Miah along to court in support of his story.

Gross! Underwear DNA Leads To Burglary Suspect

Authorities in Washington State matched DNA from underwear left behind at a burglary scene to a man already in jail. Police said the thief took a digital camera, laptop computer, iPod, DVD player and a change of clothes during the October burglary in Shoreline. He left behind dirty shoes, pants and underwear. Police said the DNA sample matched a 39-year-old man who pleaded guilty May 5th to five counts of residential burglary.

Woman Refuses Sentence Writing Sentence

A Georgia woman ordered to write “I will not dishonor myself by passing a school bus” 2,500 times has asked for a jury trial rather than accept the sentence. Nancy Nguyen, 19, was ordered by a Forest Park judge to write the sentence as well as perform community service, pass a defensive driving course and pay a $350 fine after the judge found her responsible for passing a stopped school bus in March. Nguyen said she will not copy the sentence 2,500 times because she passed the bus accidentally when two tractor-trailers blocked her view. “I’m not going to demean myself and be demeaned by other people,” Nguyen said. The case has been transferred to state court.

Walmart Worker Fired For Foiling Theft

A Wichita, Kansas, woman says she was fired from Walmart after stopping a thief from stealing a $600 computer. Heather Ravenstein worked for Walmart for two years, most recently in customer service. Ravenstein said she was kicked and punched Friday night by a man who was trying to carry a computer out of the store in Wichita’s West Kellogg neighborhood. The man eventually gave up the computer and left, Ravenstein said. The next day she was fired for violating a Walmart policy that prohibits anyone but a manager or someone in asset protection from stopping a theft. Ravenstein said she didn’t know about the policy. A Walmart spokeswoman said Ravenstein put her safety and perhaps the safety of customers at risk by confronting the thief.

Pair Skip Out On $1,500 Cab Fare

A Tennessee taxi driver told police a man and a woman fled without paying a $1,500 fare for a ride to Ohio. The driver from Affordable Taxi Service of Jackson, Tennessee, told police he quoted the pair a $1,427 price for the drive from the Case Jones Motel in Jackson to Lorain, Ohio. The cabbie said he let the pair out at a Lorain apartment building and waited for about an hour. The couple asked to be driven to a new destination to get the money and upon arriving they took their belongings and fled in a minivan. Police said a resident of the apartment identified herself as the woman’s aunt and said her niece had arrived without notice and she didn’t know how to reach her.

Watermelon Pot

Mississippi authorities found a load of pot hidden in a shipment of watermelons. Officers with the Mississippi Department of Transportation stopped the refrigerated rig at an inspection station on I-55. Officials say an officer became suspicious when the driver and co-driver didn’t know each other. Authorities seized 100 pounds of pot hidden in the load. Gregory Thrasher and Ivan Bravo are facing drug charges.

No Pot Brownies Here

Workers at the Sara Lee bakery in Owensboro, Kentucky, alerted company officials when 40 pounds of pot arrived. The illegal weed was in a shipment of packaging material. Employees suspicious of one large package took it to the front office, where it was opened. Sara Lee officials called police, who are now trying to trace that pot shipment.

Sleeping Woman Left On Plane For 4 Hours

Airline officials are trying to figure out how a sleeping passenger was left aboard a flight for four hours after it landed in Philadelphia. According to police and the Transportation Security Administration, the passenger didn’t wake up when her United Express flight from Dulles airport outside Washington landed shortly after midnight Tuesday. A cleaning crew found her about 4 a.m. United Airlines says they’re working with a regional partner carrier to determine why the plane wasn’t cleared upon landing.

Stolen Truck Retrieved Thanks To Loud Muffler

There’s no mistaking Alex Hansen’s truck. The 27-year-old said he heard his loud truck start up and take off outside his home Tuesday morning around 5 a.m. He ran outside in his shorts and saw the back end of his 1996 Toyota T-100 taking off. Hansen grabbed his girlfriend’s car and followed the noise. He finally caught up to the truck, but the thief jumped out and ran. Hansen drove his truck home and found officers finishing up a police report. The thieves did manage to take his tools, camera and wallet.

Spitting On Bus Drivers

New York City bus drivers took an average of two paid months off last year after being spit on by upset riders. The indignity is considered an assault under the drivers’ union contract. That entitles them to take a paid break. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that 83 drivers were spat on last year. Of those, 51 took an average of 64 paid days off. One driver took 191 days of paid leave. The drivers made up one-third of the number of transit workers who took time off due to assaults. The drivers’ union says the encounters cause psychological trauma, because workers fear they may contract a disease or be assaulted again.

$75 Million Florida Palace

A 90,000-square-foot home with a 20-car garage in Orange County, Florida, is for sale at $75 million. The home is still incomplete but boasts three pools, a 7,200-square-foot grand hall, and a 30-foot-wide stained-glass dome. With 13 bedrooms, 23 bathrooms, 11 kitchens, a two-lane bowling alley, a roller rink and an arcade, it is said to be the largest family home in the United States. The owners, time-share mogul David Siegel and his wife Jacqueline, have named the mansion Versailles, after the famous palace outside Paris. Construction has been halted on the home because Siegel is using his money for his business.

Teachers In Hot Water Over Holy Water Assault

A Florida school district said two teachers are under investigation for allegations they poured holy water on an atheist colleague. Schandra Rodriguez, a teacher at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach who identifies herself as an atheist, claims colleagues Leslie Rainer and Djuna Robinson, both self-proclaimed Christians, poured holy water on her March 11th because of her beliefs. The Broward School Board said Rainer and Robinson were removed from their classrooms and the allegations are being investigated. An attorney for the teachers said the incident was a joke that was blown out of proportion.

Banned Gambler Has To Give Back Jackpot

A Pennsylvania man who won a $2,001 slot machine jackpot must forfeit the winnings and will be charged with trespassing, because he had previously banned himself from casinos under a state program for problem gamblers. State police have not identified the 55-year-old Waterford Township man who won the jackpot Friday at Erie’s Presque Isle Downs & Casino. Under the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s self-exclusion program, problem gamblers can choose to ban themselves from casinos for one year, five years or for life. Banned players are charged with criminal trespass if they enter a casino and must forfeit any winnings. The money goes to a compulsive and problem gambler treatment fund.

Hungry Burglar

Police in Des Moines, Iowa, say someone broke into a Subway sandwich shop and helped himself to dinner. The bandit made sandwiches and took a pile of cold cuts, cookies and bread – but left the dough behind. The burglar never found Subway’s hidden stash of cash. Police are trying to ID possible suspects.

Teacher In Hot Water After Students Wear Klan Robes

A North Georgia teacher is on administrative leave and could lose her job after she allowed four students to wear mock Ku Klux Klan outfits for a final project in a high school class last Thursday. The sight of the Klan-like outfits outraged some black students at the school. Catharine Ariemma, who teaches the advanced placement course combining U.S. history with film education, could face punishment, suspension or termination. The school is located 75 miles north of Atlanta.

Man Torched Over Late Dinner

Kanawha County authorities said a marital dispute over a late dinner has landed a man in jail on an arson charge. Guy Edward Jones, 60, came home Sunday and got mad when his wife, Beverly, didn’t have dinner on the table. A fight broke out before Beverly ran to a neighbor’s home while Jones set their home on fire.

World’s Tallest Man In Minnesota

Guinness World Records has recognized a Minnesota man as the tallest man in the United States. Rochester’s Igor Vovkovinskiy (voh-kov-IN’-ski) at 7 feet, 8.33 inches tall during NBC’s “Dr. Oz” show yesterday. He edged out Norfolk, Virginia, sheriff’s deputy George Bell by a third of an inch. Guinness says the world’s tallest man is Turkey’s Sultan Kosen. He measures in at 8 feet, 1 inch tall.

Navy Buoy Crashes Through Roof

Navy officials have confirmed that a sonar buoy fell from a P-3 Orion plane during a training flight and crashed through the roof of a Florida home. Marwan Saman of Mandarin said the 3-foot-long cylinder crashed through his roof at about 9:15 a.m. Friday and landed next to the bed his daughter had been sleeping in only 30 minutes earlier. Navy officials said the Patrol Squadron 45 plane had just departed Jacksonville Naval Air Station for a routine training exercise when the buoy fell from an altitude of 500 to 600 feet. A Mayport Naval Station demolition team disposed of the item. Officials said the device carried an explosive charge meant to activate when it hits the water, but it did not detonate when it struck the home. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Steer With Biggest Horns Dies

A Watusi steer that held the world record for largest horns has died of cancer at age 14 on an Arkansas refuge. Lurch, who died Saturday afternoon at Rocky Ridge Refuge near Gassville, entered the Guinness World Records in 2003 when his horns were measured at 36 inches in circumference. Despite his weakened state, Lurch stood up Saturday morning, walked out of the barn and ambled down a hill to lay down in the sun along a fence with “his buddies,” said refuge owner Janice Wolf. He went down later when he tried to make it back up the hill and died a short time later, she said. Lurch will be immortalized in a full-body taxidermy created by taxidermist-artist Tim Dobbs of Midland, Texas. It hasn’t been determined where the famous steer’s final resting place will be.

Moose Spared By Internet Fans

Pete the Moose has gotten a break. The moose had been ordered to either be removed from a game preserve or destroyed. But he’s been spared, thanks in part to his online pals. He will now be allowed to stay on the land near the U.S.-Canada border under a compromise drawn up by Vermont lawmakers last week. A Facebook page had more than 4,000 people clicking on as fans of the effort to support saving Pete. There was also a “Save Pete the Moose” Web site. The man who helped nurse Pete back to health is thankful for all of the online support. He says getting Pete to stay on at the reserve is the best he could have hoped for.

‘Lost’ Cats

A Canadian amateur filmmaker has created a 1-minute recap of all six seasons of the just-ended hit drama “Lost” with animated pictures of cats. The video, posted to YouTube by user tremendousnews, mocks the development of the characters on the ABC series, which broadcast its finale Sunday, through pictures of cats animated to make it appear they are speaking. The video was nearing 237,000 views on YouTube as of yesterday.

Mom Gives Birth While Driving To Hospital

A Bemidji, Minnesota, mother gave birth to a baby boy while driving herself to the hospital, with the newborn’s father steering the car from the passenger’s seat. Amanda McBride said she was rushing to the hospital last Wednesday when her water broke and the baby “just slid out.” McBride said she was feeling labor pains at work, so she drove to pick up the baby’s father and headed for the hospital. The father, Joseph Phillips, did not drive because he has a history of seizures. Phillips said McBride yelled at him to take the wheel as she cradled the 8 pound baby boy, Joseph Dominick Phillips.

Water Gun Fight Prompts Evacuations

What started out as an innocent squirt gun fight between children turned into a potentially dangerous situation for a neighborhood in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, on Sunday. Firefighters responded to reports of a strong smell of ammonia in the basement of a home. Investigators found a smoking 7-gallon barrel of sodium hydroxide, prompting a hazardous materials team response and the evacuation of three homes. Sodium hydroxide, commonly used to clear drains, reacts strongly with water, creating an odor and heat. Investigators determined that water dripped into the barrel during a kids’ water gun fight in the basement. The chemical was removed and no one was hurt. The homeowner thinks the chemical was in the basement when he bought the home.

The Check Really Was In The Mail

First-class mail from the early 1990s has been recovered from a shed behind a home in Algonac, Michigan. Postal agents said it was stashed there by former postal worker Earl Hicks, who was overwhelmed by his route years ago. He now lives in Cape Coral, Florida. Federal prosecutors in Detroit charged the 66-year-old Hicks with stealing mail. Investigators were alerted to the old mail by his sister, who was clearing out a shed behind a home in Algonac where Hicks once lived. There were 544 first-class pieces, including some checks, and nearly 3,000 pieces of advertising.

Finger Food

One man bit another during a fight over a couple of dogs at a park in suburban New York City. Rockland County sheriff’s Capt. William Barbera said the two dog owners got into it Sunday night after one man didn’t like the way their pets were playing at a dog park in New City, about 30 miles north of New York. Barbera said that a third man tried to break up the fight and one of the combatants bit him on the wrist. No one has been arrested but the case is still being investigated.

Fish Catches Woman

A Florida woman suffered minor injuries last Thursday when a fish she was trying to net for her husband pulled her off a pier and into the ocean. Patricia Tenuto was trying to land a redfish her husband had hooked at a fishing pier at Pensacola Beach. “The fish was in the net, almost to the pier when it had a burst of energy,” Tenuto said. “It pulled me in with it. I was just hoping a boat wasn’t coming,” she added. Her husband called 911 as she held onto a piling under the pier. Lifeguards used a personal watercraft to bring her to shore, where paramedics treated her. The fish got away.

Chicken Suits Banned At Polls

Nevada residents voting in the state’s upcoming primary election have been told wearing chicken suits to polling places will not be allowed. State election officials added the suits to a list of banned items after Republican Senate candidate Sue Lowden made a campaign comment suggesting bartering with doctors for medical care like when “our grandparents would bring a chicken to the doctor.” Officials say wearing a chicken costume to a polling place would be like wearing a campaign button or T-shirt for a candidate, which is prohibited. If someone does show up in a chicken costume and it’s all they have on, officials said they would be allowed to vote but would then have to leave the polling place and stay at least 100 feet away.

Lip Tattoo Leads To Burglary Arrest

Police say a suspect in a Colorado home invasion had the evidence written all over his face. A tattoo on the upper lip of 20-year-old Anthony Brandon Gonzales led to his arrest Thursday in the home robbery of an Elvis impersonator in Pueblo County. A witness told police that one of the invaders had “East Side” tattooed on his upper lip. Gonzales also has a “13” tattooed on his chin in the shape of a goatee. According to an affidavit, the tattoos were visible even though Gonzales was wearing a mask. Gonzales was already in jail on a separate drug charge. Police have now charged him with the April burglary as well.

Suspect’s Sneakers Foils Stuffed Animal Hideout

An El Paso, Texas, man running from the law was captured when police spotted David Caro’s sneakers poking out beneath a pile of carnival stuffed teddy bears. Authorities say Caro was trying to hide after ditching his car during a traffic stop last Thursday. Police said Caro had swerved into the path of a motorcycle officer to avoid being pulled over. Soon after, he ditched his car near a traveling carnival and disappeared. However, police saw Caro’s shoes in a pile of stuffed teddy bears and arrested him. He was charged with evading arrest and aggravated assault against a public servant.

Man In Room 119 Arrested After Mistaken 911 Call

A wrong number led police to make a drug bust at a motel in Wenatchee, Washington. A man staying at one room attempted to call someone staying in Room 119 – but dialed 911 instead. Officers arrived last Wednesday to see if there was a problem and discovered there was an arrest warrant for the man in Room 119. They arrested the 29-year-old man and seized heroin and other drugs.

Lost Wallet Finds Its Way Back To Owner

A Dearborn, Michigan, barber who lost his wallet says it was returned by a customer. Michael Mikulonis left the wallet on the roof on his car as he drove his wife to a dress fitting and didn’t realize it was missing until they got home. Thinking it might have slipped under the seat, Mikulonis asked his wife to go in the house to get a flashlight. She returned with a cordless phone instead, with a call from someone who had found the wallet in the middle of the street and realized it was his barber. Fifteen minutes later the man was at Mikulonis’ house with the wallet. The barber thanked him and the man drove off. Mikulonis says he only knows the man as “Steve,” who is about 50 and has dark hair and a beard. He hasn’t been to the barbershop since that night, Mikulonis said, but when he does show up for his next haircut there will be a gift certificate to a local restaurant waiting for him – along with a free haircut.

Skateboard Odyssey

A Virginia man has began a 3,200-mile skateboarding trip across the country in memory of his father killed in Afghanistan and other soldiers. Shayne Carlson, 21, left his Virginia Beach home in an effort to raise money for wounded soldiers and as a tribute to his fallen father, CIA contractor William “Chief” Carlson, who was killed in October 2003 during an ambush in Shkin, Afghanistan. Carlson plans to stop at military bases along the way, backed by four friends and a station wagon packed with supplies and camping gear. Carlson speculates he’ll go through at least eight boards, nine sets of wheels and several pairs of shoes, but he’s confident he’ll travel 50 miles a day and raise $25,000 for organizations that help special operations soldiers and their families.

Man Inhaled By Sausage Machine

A cleaner working at a Danvers, Massachusetts, sausage company was sucked head first into a seasoning machine, but was uninjured. The victim was pulled into a “vacuum-type cylinder” that draws marinade into meat when the machine was accidentally activated, pulling his head and shoulders into the machine. He was assisted out of the device at the DiLuigi Sausage Co. with no visible signs of trauma, according to officials. An investigation is set to begin this week.

Wisconsin Court Gives Inmate Bikini Photos

An inmate at Wisconsin’s maximum security prison is getting his bikini pics. An appeals court ordered prison officials to give inmate Johnny Lacy four photographs of women in bikinis that he ordered through the mail. The court said the photographs were improperly withheld from Lacy under a prison policy banning pornography. Two of the photos show women sitting on the beach in bikinis and two others show the same woman standing in a pink bikini in front of a wall. The court says those photos do not violate the prison’s pornography ban although several other shots he ordered were too risqué and were properly withheld.

Man Communicates Only Via Social Media

An Atlanta man is raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with a project allowing him to communicate only on social networking sites for a month. Clark Harris, known on Facebook as SilentClark Harris and Twitter as @SilentClark, wrote during a Facebook-based ABC News interview that his quest to speak only via the Web sites, along with others including YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn and Google Chat, was inspired by his mother, who died in February after a 10-year battle with cancer. His project is dubbed the Social Media Experiment.

Police Escort Strip Poker Losers

Police in New Hampshire escorted a pair of late-night strip poker losers back to a party to retrieve their clothes. Portsmouth police responded at about 3 a.m. to a call about a naked woman running down the street and officers discovered a naked woman and a naked man hiding behind a fence in the neighborhood. “They were playing a game of strip poker and the losers had to run around the block,” police said. Officers escorted the pair back to the house hosting the game, where a number of people were found in various states of undress. Officials said no charges were filed because it took place at a late hour when few people would have seen the nudity.

New York Sidewalk Split For Tourists

Pedestrians on New York’s Fifth Avenue said anonymous artists drew a line down the sidewalk, separating it into lanes marked “New Yorkers” and “Tourists.” Locals said the white line first appeared Saturday morning and no one has come forward to claim credit for creating the separate lanes, apparently designed to keep picture-taking tourists out of the way of busy locals.

School Bus Takes Wrong Students On Field Trip

A New Jersey school district said a bus meant to take middle schoolers on a field trip mistakenly left with a load of high school students. About 30 Ridgefield Park High School students boarded the bus around 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, thinking it was the bus they ride every day. But the driver had shown up early to take seventh- and eighth-graders to Six Flags Great Adventure. The students became worried when the bus reached the New Jersey Turnpike and called their parents and the school when the driver wouldn’t stop. The driver eventually listened to them and exited the interstate, then turned around. School officials had called police, who stopped the bus. An officer rode the bus until it reached the school.

God Told Me To

A Louisiana man who told police that God told him to walk the streets naked to save his soul has been arrested. Thibodaux police responded to an obscenity complaint around 2 a.m. yesterday and found Shafiq Mohamed walking nude down the street. Mohamed told officers that “America raped him” and said God told him to walk the streets naked to save his soul. Mohamed was taken into custody and charged with obscenity.

Bridal Shop Owner’s Dressing-Down Benefits Teens‎

A Cook County court has ordered a bridal shop owner to donate 500 prom dresses per year to poor teenage girls as restitution for filing fraudulent sales tax returns. Dale Buziecki, 64, president and owner of House of Brides, admitted to cheating on the sales tax returns of his stores in the Chicago area and will have to make the donation to the Glass Slipper Project (GSP) in the next three years. The court also fined Buziecki $280,000 and ordered him to do 250 hours of community service. The GSP is a non-profit organization that collects and distributes prom outfits for Chicago high school students who cannot afford them.

George Washington’s Overdue Book Returned

The New York Society Library has finally received two books borrowed by George Washington 221 years ago that were never returned. Washington took out the books from the library in Manhattan on October 5, 1789, just months after becoming the first president of the United States. The books were discovered by the librarian at Mount Vernon, Virginia, following publicity about Washington never returning the books. The late fees, which would amount to about $300,000, were waived. The books returned yesterday were “Law of Nations,” a treatise on international relations, and Volume 12 of the “Common Debates” which contained transcripts of debates from the British House of Commons.

Pilot Group Provides Animal Transport

A dog facing death in an Arkansas shelter has been saved by a group called Pilots N Paws, which is dedicated to providing transportation for animals. Mr. Muggles, a puggle (a cross between a pug and a beagle), arrived Tuesday at St. Louis Downtown Airport en route to IL-MO PugRescue. Melanie O’Brien, who arranged the trip, said she will list the dog on an adoption Web site. “This little guy was on the short list,” she said. “He was going to be euthanized within days.” O’Brien was unable to find anyone to drive the dog up from Arkansas, but heard about Pilots N Paws from a Tennessee rescue group. “My friend told me that pilots are always looking for an excuse to fly,” she said. Rick Hartley and his wife Cindy, who live in Marshall, Arkansas, volunteered for the mission. They flew Mr. Muggles from Mountain Home to St. Louis in their Cherokee 180.

Man Cuts Across Outfield To Get Concession Stand

A homeless man who said he was looking for the fastest route to a concession stand was arrested after walking onto the outfield during a minor league baseball game in Pennsylvania. Logan Township police say they’ll file criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness charges against 24-year-old Tyrone Squires over Tuesday night’s incident. Police say Squires lowered himself over a fence and onto the field during the bottom of the ninth inning during an Altoona Curve game against the Akron Aeros. Ballpark security allowed him to walk slowly along the outfield warning track and grabbed him as he exited near the Curve bullpen along the right field line.

Meth Bible

People have come up with some creative ways to sneak drugs into jail but one woman called on religion to make a delivery. Deputies in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, say Melissa Lennox put meth inside of a Bible and tried to get it to an inmate in jail. Lennox was arrested along with the person who provided the drugs, Nikki Rushing, and the prisoner they were trying to get the drugs to, Harvey Leblanc.

DUI Suspect Carried From Field In Tractor Bucket

Police said a Maryland man was so drunk after driving into a central Pennsylvania field that a farmer had to carry the handcuffed suspect out in the bucket of his tractor. Southwestern Regional police Chief Greg Bean said 36-year-old Shawn Anthony Hott, of Boonsboro, Maryland, had to be pulled to safety after he was nearly run over by his own truck. Bean said Hott was driving through fields Sunday night and fled police before nearly hitting a herd of cows in Glenville, Pennsylvania. Bean said Hott surrendered and collapsed behind his truck, which started to drift back toward him. An officer pulled Hott away then had to get the farmer to carry them back to his patrol car.

Former NASCAR Driver Leads Police On High-Speed Chase

Former NASCAR driver James Neal used to run full out at the Ascot Park track in Gardena, California, in the early 1980s. He never won a national race but when deputies in San Clemente tried to pull Neal’s 2003 Corvette over for a traffic violation, those old racing juices began flowing again. Neal led the deputies on a high-speed chase for nearly 50 miles, hitting speeds up to 130 mph. The race would have gone on longer, except the Corvette’s engine blew up near La Jolla. Neal was arrested and jailed on a $25,000 bail.

Judge Clears Teen For Rapping Fast-Food Order

Rapping your order at a drive-thru window may be irritating to restaurant workers but it isn’t against the law. That’s the upshot of a case in Utah where a teenager was charged with disorderly conduct after he and his buddies went through a McDonald’s drive-thru and rapped their order into the speaker. Spenser Dauwalder was cited last fall after he was part of a group that imitated a rap from a popular YouTube video. The order-taker wasn’t pleased, and a restaurant manager reported the teens to police. But a judge cleared the teen of a disorderly conduct charge.

Workers Asked To Return Bonuses After 16 Years

About 180 county employees in suburban Atlanta are being asked to return thousands of dollars the county says they were overpaid 16 years ago. Gwinnett County’s chief financial officer, Aaron Bovos, calls it a project to “clean up receivables and to eliminate outstanding obligations.” The county is seeking to collect more than $39,000 from employees who received bonuses in their paychecks in 1994. Authorities blamed the overpayments on a payroll anomaly when the county adjusted employees’ payroll cycles. Employees can apply the money to vacation leave or make a cash payment.

Teacher Uses Assassination Example In Class

A geometry teacher in Birmingham, Alabama, was investigated by the Secret Service after he used a hypothetical assassination of President Barack Obama as a way to teach geometric angles. School officials said the Corner High School teacher was apparently instructing his students about parallel lines and angles and used the example of where to stand and aim to shoot the president. Authorities were alerted and Roy Sexton, special agent in charge of Birmingham’s Secret Service office, said his agency spoke with the teacher. “We did not find a credible threat,” Sexton said. He said the investigation was closed. No charges were filed and the teacher will retain his job, although school officials will have a talk with him about what is and isn’t appropriate in class.

Police Follow Paint Trail To Suspects

Colorado authorities followed a trail of paint to two men accused of splashing the white paint on several cars. The Boulder Police Department said seven cars were found with paint splashed on them early Tuesday. Investigators followed the trail of paint to a home where Jarrad McKay, 21, and Matthew Baker, 20, were allegedly found with paint residue on their bodies. Investigators said the men admitted to splashing paint on the cars and said they had taken the paint from University Hill Elementary School. They were arrested on suspicion of criminal mischief and theft.

Judge Tosses Backyard Smoking Suit

An Albuquerque judge ruled against a couple whose lawsuit against a neighbor claimed her backyard smoking hurt their quality of life. Judge Rosie Allred ruled in favor of Linda Garcia, who was sued by neighbors Jesus and Pat Martinez for smoking cigarettes in her own backyard. “After hearing the facts, [the judge] said what Ms. Garcia was doing on her own property was not unreasonable,” said Garcia’s attorney. Jesus and Pat Martinez claimed the smoke would blow though the air and enter their home, causing Pat Martinez to suffer smoke-related illness.

Teen Texts D.A.R.E. Officer For Drugs

An Ohio deputy who teaches for the D.A.R.E. program said she arrested a teenager who mistakenly sent her a text message her for a drug deal. Portage County Deputy Kari Scherer, who serves as the county’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer, said a 16-year-old boy sent her an apparent wrong-number text identifying himself and commenting “that the weed we had smoked the other night was the bomb.” “That’s pretty hysterical,” Scherer says. “I’m out there to teach drug resistance and here, someone’s wanting (to buy) drugs off of me.” The sheriff instructed Scherer to continue corresponding with the teenager and set up a buy, where the Drug Task Force was waiting.

Woman Shot In Butt At Bass Store

Police say a gun brought to a Bass Pro Shops store in California for use on the shooting range accidentally discharged, shooting a woman in the buttocks. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said a 52-year-old man brought six guns to the store Sunday to test fire at the upstairs shooting range. A .45-caliber handgun accidentally discharged while he was checking the guns in at the store’s front desk. “(The bullet) exited through the bag, traveled about 40 yards away and hit a female shopper in the left side of her bottom,” a sheriff’s spokeswoman said. The guns were seized but no charges have been filed. The woman received treatment for a minor wound.

Fleeing Suspect Hides In Coffin

Police in Pennsylvania said a woman who escaped custody was found hours later hiding in a coffin at a nearby funeral home. The Juniata County Sheriff’s Department said Nicole April Kelly, 19, was being transferred from a judge’s office to the Mifflin County Correctional Facility when she broke free from deputies outside of the correctional facility and fled in the direction of Brown Funeral Home. Kelly eluded capture for several hours while police searched the area with dogs and a helicopter. She was eventually discovered hiding inside a coffin at the funeral home by owner Dan Brown. Kelly, who was being held on two outstanding warrants, was charged with additional counts of escape, flight to avoid apprehension, burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and simple assault.

Goodwill Good Samaritan

An Asheville, North Carolina, Goodwill employee sorting through donated clothing discovered more than $5,000 stuffed into a nylon sock. Jocelyn Garnace said she picked up the sock from a bin of donated clothes and the money, totaling $5,365, fell by her feet along with pay stubs dating back to 1975. “I had to turn it in,” Garnace said. “It’s not mine. I know I did the right thing.” She said the pay stubs were tracked to a 96-year-old Asheville woman whose family had donated many of her belongings when she moved to an assistant living facility. The woman’s niece said the woman was known to keep money hidden in various locations around her house.

Pink Stun Gun Chase At Wendy’s

A Daytona Beach, Florida, woman is accused of chasing a Wendy’s employee with a stun gun after she got upset about her order. Police say Melanese Asia Reid got into an argument with an employee at the drive-thru Monday. She got out of the vehicle and went into the store with Katrina Mari-Alyce Bryant. Witnesses say Reid pulled out a pink stun gun and chased the employee while Bryant cheered her on. The two women left when a manager threatened to call police. Police tracked them down later after Bryant called the store back to complain about the service. Reid was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and Bryant was charged with being a principal to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Teen Buys House With 4-H Winnings

A frugal Greenfield, Ohio, teen used years of 4-H winnings to pay cash for a four-bedroom, two-bath house with a two-car garage. Lindsay Binegar, 19, used the $40,000 she had amassed since winning her first $100 for showing a hog when she was 4-years-old. Binegar, a freshman at Ohio University’s Chillicothe branch, banked every cent of her winnings, including $15,540 in prize money for showing the reserve champion and grand champion hogs at the county fair in recent years. Binegar bought her house at auction in August through her father, who owns Binegar Auction Service, and then rented it for $450 a month to a great aunt and uncle.

Cell Phone Company Sued For Revealing Affair

A Toronto woman suing her former cell phone service provider says the company’s billing practices led to her husband finding out she cheated on him. Gabriella Nagy said she had a cell phone account with Rogers Wireless in 2007 that was billed to her home address in her maiden name, but the company consolidated the bill with Internet and home phone service ordered by her husband, allowing him to view her call history. Nagy, whose lawsuit alleges invasion of privacy and breach of contract, said her husband found out about several hours-long phone calls to the same number and discovered the number belonged to a man she was seeing romantically.

Septuagenarian Memorizes ‘Paradise Lost’

Connecticut researchers have verified a man’s claims of memorizing the entirety of the epic poem “Paradise Lost” by John Milton. John Basinger, 76, of Middleton, said it took him eight years to memorize the 60,000 words of the poem. He can recite the entire 17th century work in three eight-hour sessions. John Seamon, a psychology professor at Middleton’s Wesleyan University, tested Basinger under clinical conditions after seeing him perform a portion of the poem. He said the researchers recited two lines from the poem at random and Basinger was able to correctly recite the next 10 lines nearly 90% of the time.

Missing Mail Turns Up In Philadelphia

Authorities have recovered about 20,000 pieces of mail from the garage of a Philadelphia postal carrier. The carrier worked in the city’s Bustleton neighborhood, but apparently didn’t work as much as he was supposed to. Some of the mail that was found dates back to 1997. It took three trucks to remove the mail and authorities have been delivering the missing letters and parcels to customers since last week. Postal officials haven’t identified the carrier and are still trying to find him so they can ask him what happened.

Jersey Bears

The bruins were busy yesterday in New Jersey! Paramedics in Wayne, New Jersey, were slowed down responding to an emergency call by a bear that kept them trapped inside their building. The bear was gone by the time officers arrived Monday morning at the St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital ambulance building and the ambulance was able to get out. Meanwhile, a nearby contractor getting something from his truck says he came face to face with a 200-pound bear. He said he threw a carpenter’s ruler at it and scared it away. Meanwhile, officers temporarily stopped traffic while they scared away two bear cubs that were wandering near the hospital and William Paterson University. There’s been no sign of the cubs’ mother.

Missing Wallet Turns Up 9 Months Later

David Davis lost his wallet nine months ago and hadn’t heard anything since, so he assumed he would never see it again. He was wrong. Davis has been reunited with his missing wallet, complete with his driver’s license, credit and debit cards, and the more than $170 in cash he had in it when he lost it. It was found last week by a group of credit union workers picking up litter along a Utah highway in the Adopt-A-Highway program. Davis says he lost it after leaving it on a personal watercraft he was hauling.

Loaded Armoire

A worker at a furniture liquidation business in Richland, Washington, found bundles of cash hidden in the back of an armoire. The owners of the company, Liz and Mark Thompson of ET Estate Sales & Liquidation, traced the furniture to an estate sale and were able to return $20,000 to the family of the owner. The money belongs to Ron Davidson’s sister, a 78-year-old widow. She lost her husband to cancer in February and has moved into an assisted-living home. Davidson said with her medical bills and stress, the cash is a blessing. Davidson said her husband stashed the money years ago because he didn’t trust the banking system.

‘Balloon Boy’ Parents Get Balloon Back

The parents of “Balloon Boy” have been reunited with their balloon. The Larimer County Sheriff’s office has returned the balloon to Richard Heene and his wife Mayumi. The sheriff’s office says the dad asked to measure the balloon to make sure it was the same one he launched last October. The family had falsely told authorities their 6-year-old son was in the balloon after the launch. Richard Heene has completed a 90-day jail sentence for his plea of falsely influencing authorities. His wife was sentenced to 10 weekends working at nonprofits for filing a false report. The family has agreed to pay $36,000 in restitution to agencies that responded to the hoax.